Hugh Bonneville horrified as identity frauds continually impersonate him online
Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville says he is the victim of identity fraudsters who keep pretending to be him online.
The 57-year-old TV star says he is regularly alerted to con men trying to impersonate him online – and says they send awkward DMs to people he knows.
The actor claims the fakers are also trying to “lure” his friends away from him, with the online incidents occurring every other week.
Hugh doesn’t specify what platform the attacks happen on, but he does have Twitter, Instagram and Facebook profiles all in his name, and fears followers might be duped by fake accounts.
(Image: GC Images)
Opening up about his ordeal to the Daily Mail, Hugh said: “Roughly every two weeks, some numpty who can’t spell sets up two new accounts pretending to be me.”
He added: “They send naff private messages to people who follow me, hoping to lure them into a weird cave under a rock near the sea anemones of their imagination.”
Fans should perhaps note that they wouldn’t be interacting with the real Hugh if they tweet or DM him online.
(Image: Getty Images)
The actor humorously explains that his accounts are “run by efficient elves” suggesting his accounts are managed by people other than him.
Something of a man of many faces himself, Hugh has been in the acting world and demonstrating his skills at being able to switch up personalities and characters for over thirty years.
He hit worldwide fame thanks to his role as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, on ITV’s smash period drama, Downton Abbey.
The series spawned a spin-off movie in 2019 – and a subsequent sequel is reportedly in development.
Show creator Julian Fellowes confirmed he will get to work penning the new Downton Abbey film once he completed writing scripts for The Gilded Age – a new period drama set in 1880s New York which is expected to stream on HBO Max in the coming months.
The Gilded Age features an all-star cast including Mamma Mia star Christine Baranski, Sex and the City icon Cynthia Nixon and Basic Instint star Jeanne Tripplehorn.